Hello, and welcome to the
Tiber River Café. My name is Dean
Humphreys, and today’s two minute topic is the Sacrament of Baptism. It is with our
Baptism that we are brought into the life of the Church, and our Baptism is essential
for our eternal salvation. Once baptized
the person becomes a member of the Church, the newest member of the family of
God. For Catholics, being baptized is
the very mark of being a Christian, for to be baptized is to be with Jesus. Jesus made it very clear in the Gospel of
John, chapter 3 verses 1-21, when Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus that baptism
is essential for salvation, stating, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can
enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” This is Baptism.
We are baptized with water,
which is one of the essential elements of Baptism. For water must be poured over the person’s
head, and the second essential element of Baptism are the words, “I baptize you
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” which must
be said. Through our Baptism we become a
part of the Church, the Body of Christ, and through our Baptism we have eternal
salvation. In the Gospel of Mark,
chapter 16 verse 16, Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be
saved” and that person will have eternal life.
There is a direct and clear connection between Baptism and
salvation.
We are made a new creation,
we undergo a new birth in Christ, for we are born again in the truest
sense. At our Baptism we take off the
old life and put on the new life that is in Jesus, we now fully participate in
the life of Jesus. At our baptism we are
permanently changed, we become a new person, rising to a new life in Christ. And we are baptized only once, as the Sacrament
imparts an enduring sign, a permanent mark that we are brought into the life of
the Church.
Well, thanks for stopping by the Tiber River Café, where
there is always plenty of room at the banquet table. I hope to see you next time. Peace be with you.
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